Haley is right to push for infrastructure improvements

Fix roads and bridges

Published: Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 5:40 p.m.

Gov. Nikki Haley is correct in urging lawmakers to spend new money on fixing the state’s roads and bridges. Doing so would not only help the state’s economic future, it would also prevent further budget chaos in future years.

Over the past decade, the General Assembly has followed a predictable pattern. When times are good and state revenues are on the rise, lawmakers spend every dime the Board of Economic Advisors predicts the state will bring in. They save only what they are forced to by the state constitution.

They spend it all, and they spend it on new programs that have to be funded the next year and every year after that.

When times are hard and state revenues fall, they are forced by the state constitution, which requires a balanced budget, to cut spending. That task is made worse because of all the new spending programs they created during the budget surplus years. And, too often, they refuse to prioritize spending and resort to across-the-board cuts.

This behavior leads to a seesawing of state budgets that is hard on South Carolinians and state employees and results in ever-greater inefficiencies in state government.

Last year, when lawmakers were looking at a budget surplus of more than $913 million, this page urged them to spend the money on fixing the state’s roads and bridges. They didn’t. They spent it, and much of it went to ramp up the state’s annual spending.

This year, the Board of Economic Advisors is estimating the state will again see some new money. This year, Gov. Haley is urging lawmakers to spend that money on roads and bridges rather than creating spending programs that demand more money every year.

Lawmakers should listen, but they aren’t likely to do so. They all have their own spending priorities and pet projects they want to fund. Politicians like to start new programs they can claim as their legacies. They particularly like it when those programs later become named after them.

But the fiscal seesaw in this state needs to stop, and our roads and bridges are in desperate need of work. Thirteen percent of the bridges in South Carolina have been declared structurally deficient.

When budgets were lean in recent years, the state put off necessary road and bridge maintenance. Those needs didn’t disappear. They piled up. South Carolina has an accumulation of needed infrastructure repairs and improvements. The longer we wait to address these needs, the bigger that pile will become.

Poor roads and bridges are a safety issue for South Carolinians, and as the governor pointed out, an obstacle to continued economic development. The state will not be able to continue to convince companies to move or expand their operations here if our roads and bridges are in disrepair.

Spending the new money on infrastructure would help the state fix one of its critical needs. It would create needed jobs for those who would do the work. And it would help stabilize the state budget.

<p>Gov. Nikki Haley is correct in urging lawmakers to spend new money on fixing the state's roads and bridges. Doing so would not only help the state's economic future, it would also prevent further budget chaos in future years.</p><p>Over the past decade, the General Assembly has followed a predictable pattern. When times are good and state revenues are on the rise, lawmakers spend every dime the Board of Economic Advisors predicts the state will bring in. They save only what they are forced to by the state constitution.</p><p>They spend it all, and they spend it on new programs that have to be funded the next year and every year after that.</p><p>When times are hard and state revenues fall, they are forced by the state constitution, which requires a balanced budget, to cut spending. That task is made worse because of all the new spending programs they created during the budget surplus years. And, too often, they refuse to prioritize spending and resort to across-the-board cuts.</p><p>This behavior leads to a seesawing of state budgets that is hard on South Carolinians and state employees and results in ever-greater inefficiencies in state government.</p><p>Last year, when lawmakers were looking at a budget surplus of more than $913 million, this page urged them to spend the money on fixing the state's roads and bridges. They didn't. They spent it, and much of it went to ramp up the state's annual spending.</p><p>This year, the Board of Economic Advisors is estimating the state will again see some new money. This year, Gov. Haley is urging lawmakers to spend that money on roads and bridges rather than creating spending programs that demand more money every year.</p><p>Lawmakers should listen, but they aren't likely to do so. They all have their own spending priorities and pet projects they want to fund. Politicians like to start new programs they can claim as their legacies. They particularly like it when those programs later become named after them.</p><p>But the fiscal seesaw in this state needs to stop, and our roads and bridges are in desperate need of work. Thirteen percent of the bridges in South Carolina have been declared structurally deficient.</p><p>When budgets were lean in recent years, the state put off necessary road and bridge maintenance. Those needs didn't disappear. They piled up. South Carolina has an accumulation of needed infrastructure repairs and improvements. The longer we wait to address these needs, the bigger that pile will become.</p><p>Poor roads and bridges are a safety issue for South Carolinians, and as the governor pointed out, an obstacle to continued economic development. The state will not be able to continue to convince companies to move or expand their operations here if our roads and bridges are in disrepair.</p><p>Spending the new money on infrastructure would help the state fix one of its critical needs. It would create needed jobs for those who would do the work. And it would help stabilize the state budget.</p><p>Lawmakers should follow the governor's advice.</p>